Voyaging

World’s 100 Largest Yachts 2009 #1: Dubai

Built for a prince and sold to a Dubai-based monarch, the world’s largest yacht has certainly had some dazzling owners. Her build heritage is nothing to sneeze at either: The work on this Andrew Winch-designed behemoth began at Blohm & Voss (working in conjunction with Lrssen) and was completed at the United Arab Emirates yard, Platinum Yachts.

Builder: Blohm & Voss

Dubai's seating room.

So how was it finishing a 531-footer that boasts of, among other things, three elevators, two rooms dedicated solely to watertoy stowage, accommodations for 115 guests, and the capacity to carry—and refuel—a 9.5-ton helicopter? Pretty tough, admits Kostas Antonopoulos-Rothschild, Platinum’s managing director. “The learning curve was steep and full of obstacles, as the size of the yacht tested the limits of the industry to deliver quality and detail in such large volume,” he explains. And yet the results—from the stunning, open-glass staircase to a commercial-grade engine room that’s full of redundant systems—are spectacular indeed.